104-469: The term London City may refer to: London City Airport , in east London, England London City Airport DLR station London City Soccer Club , in London, Ontario London City Lionesses , English women's football team London City Royals , English basketball team, now defunct See also [ edit ] London , the capital city of England and
208-407: A CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P728) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers; this licence also allows training flights, but only for the purpose of training pilots to operate at this specific airport. Only multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft up to Embraer E195-E2 , Airbus A220 and A318 size with special aircrew and aircraft certification to fly 5.5° approaches,
312-576: A multi-storey car park , allowing extension of the vehicle drop-off and pick up area. The jet centre and hangar facilities would be further extended. Finally the existing terminal building would be replaced. In line with phase 1 of the master plan, London City Airport made a planning application to the London Borough of Newham in August 2007. This would allow it to increase the number of flights per year from 80,000 to 120,000 by 2010. In July 2008,
416-430: A lack of transparency over the way in which the figures are calculated. The airport has always refused to publish a breakdown showing how many "Fly Quiet points" each performance benchmark has contributed towards the total score it awards to an airline, thereby putting obstacles in the way of any independent auditing of the published results. Among other criticisms of the league table are the unexplained omission of some of
520-488: A larger range of aircraft, including the BAe 146 regional jet liner and Airbus A318 , to serve the airport. By 1995, passenger numbers reached half a million, and Mowlem sold the airport to Irish businessman Dermot Desmond . Five years later passenger numbers had climbed to 1,580,000, and over 30,000 flights were operated. In 2002, a jet centre catering to corporate aviation was opened, as well as additional aircraft stands at
624-448: A model of an Emirates Airbus A380 since 2008. Heathrow Airport has Anglican , Catholic , Free Church , Hindu , Jewish , Muslim and Sikh chaplains. There is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal, in addition to St. George's Interdenominational Chapel in an underground vault adjacent to the old control tower, where Christian services take place. The chaplains organise and lead prayers at certain times in
728-548: A new shared Heathrow Terminal 5 station . A dedicated motorway spur links the terminal to the M25 (between junctions 14 and 15). The terminal has 3,800 spaces multi-storey car park . A more distant long-stay car park for business passengers is connected to the terminal by a personal rapid transit system, the Heathrow Pod , which became operational in the spring of 2011. An automated people mover (APM) system, known as
832-610: A priority since the combined business will require accommodation at Heathrow under one roof to maximise the cost savings envisaged under the deal. A proposal for Concourse D was featured in Heathrow's Capital Investment Plan 2009. The transport network around the airport has been extended to cope with the increase in passenger numbers. New branches of both the Heathrow Express and the Underground's Piccadilly line serve
936-451: A runway of only 1,080 m (3,543 ft) in length, and a slope of the glidepath of 7.5° (for noise abatement reasons), the airport could only be used by a very limited number of aircraft types, principally the Dash 7 and the smaller Dornier 228 . In 1989, the airport submitted a planning application to extend the runway, allowing the use of a larger number of aircraft types. In 1990,
1040-594: A site that covers 4.74 square miles (12.3 square kilometres). It was gradually expanded over 75 years and now has two parallel east–west runways , four operational passengers terminals and one cargo terminal. The airport is the primary hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic . Heathrow is 14 miles (23 km) west of Central London . It is located 3 miles (5 km) west of Hounslow , 3 miles (5 km) south of Hayes , and 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Staines-upon-Thames . Heathrow falls entirely within
1144-534: A specially configured Airbus A318 aircraft. The A318 is the smallest airliner to operate transatlantic since BA's corporate predecessor, BOAC , began transatlantic jet flights on 4 October 1958, with the De Havilland Comet 4 . The first day of the service, one week after Willie Walsh of British Airways pledged to the United Nations that aviation would deliver deep cuts in carbon emissions,
SECTION 10
#17327719938591248-616: A third runway to the north of the airport, which would significantly increase traffic capacity. Policing of the airport is the responsibility of the aviation security , a unit of the Metropolitan Police , although the British Army , including armoured vehicles of the Household Cavalry , has occasionally been deployed at the airport during periods of heightened security. Full body scanners are now used at
1352-519: A £200 million upgrade to enable it to accommodate 45 airlines with an upgraded forecourt to reduce traffic congestion and improve security. Most flights using Terminal 4 are those from/to East Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East as well as a few flights from/to Europe. An extended check-in area with renovated piers and departure lounges and a new baggage system were installed, and four new stands were built to accommodate
1456-586: Is dedicated to British Airways's narrowbody fleet for flights around the UK and the rest of Europe, the first satellite (Concourse B) includes dedicated stands for BA and Iberia's widebody fleet except for the Airbus A380, and the second satellite (Concourse C), includes 7 dedicated aircraft stands for the A380. It became fully operational on 1 June 2011. Terminal 5 was voted Skytrax World's Best Airport Terminal 2014 in
1560-724: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages London City Airport London City Airport ( IATA : LCY , ICAO : EGLC ) is a city airport in London , the capital of England and the United Kingdom . It is located in the Royal Docks in the Borough of Newham , about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the City of London and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Canary Wharf . These are
1664-473: Is exclusively used by British Airways as its global hub. However, because of the merger, between 25 March 2012 and 12 July 2022, Iberia's operations at Heathrow were moved to the terminal, making it the home of International Airlines Group . On 12 July 2022, Iberia's flight operations were moved back to Terminal 3. On 7 July 2020, American moved to Terminal 5, to allow for easier connections from American's transatlantic flights to British Airways flights during
1768-444: Is home to Oneworld members (with the exception of Malaysia Airlines , Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc , all of which use Terminal 4), SkyTeam members Aeroméxico , China Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Middle East Airlines , Virgin Atlantic , and several long haul unaffiliated carriers. British Airways also operates several flights from this terminal, as do Iberia and Vueling . Opened in 1986, Terminal 4 has 22 gates . It
1872-490: Is primarily used by Star Alliance airlines (consolidating the airlines under Star Alliance's co-location policy "Move Under One Roof"). The terminal is also used by a few non-aligned airlines. Terminal 2 is one of the two terminals that operate UK and Irish domestic flights. Although Scandinavian Airlines is now part of the SkyTeam alliance as of 1 September, 2024, it still uses Terminal 2. The original Terminal 2 opened as
1976-827: Is served by the A1020 road and the A112 road . These give fast links to Canning Town , the City of London and Stratford , as well as connecting to the A13 and the North Circular Road, London ( A406 ). Also the A13 provides easy access to the M25 motorway , as with the A406 connecting to the M11 motorway . The airport has both a short-term and a long-term car park, both within walking distance of
2080-652: Is situated to the south of the southern runway next to the cargo terminal and is connected to Terminals 2 and 3 by the Heathrow Cargo Tunnel . The terminal has an area of 105,481 m (1,135,390 sq ft) and is now home to the SkyTeam alliance; except Scandinavian Airlines which uses Terminal 2, and China Airlines , Aeroméxico , Delta Air Lines , Middle East Airlines , and Virgin Atlantic which use Terminal 3 - Oneworld carriers Malaysia Airlines , Qatar Airways , Royal Air Maroc , and Gulf Air and to most unaffiliated carriers. It has undergone
2184-462: Is the main international airport serving London , the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom . It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others being Gatwick , Stansted , Luton , City and Southend ). The airport is owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings . In 2023, Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe ,
SECTION 20
#17327719938592288-488: The 14th-busiest in the UK in 2017. The airport was first proposed in 1981 by Reg Ward , who was Chief Executive of the newly formed London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) that was responsible for the regeneration of the area. He in turn discussed the proposal with chairman of John Mowlem & Co Sir Philip Beck and the idea of an airport for Docklands was born. By November of that year Mowlem and Bill Bryce of Brymon Airways had submitted an outline proposal to
2392-678: The 2016 London mayoral election and member of the London Assembly Siân Berry has been vocal in calling for the closure of London City Airport and subsequent redevelopment of the area it occupies. Caroline Russell , the leader of the Green Party on the London Assembly and Scott Ainslie , former Green MEP for London and councillor on Lambeth Council have both called for its closure. In March 2020, British Airways suspended its daily service to New York due to
2496-626: The Airports Commission , an independent commission chaired by Sir Howard Davies to examine various options for increasing capacity at UK airports. In July 2015, the commission backed a third runway at Heathrow, which the government approved in October 2016. However, the Court of Appeal rejected this plan, on the basis that the government failed to consider climate change and the environmental impact of aviation . On 16 December 2020,
2600-699: The COVID-19 pandemic . London City Airport is served by London City Airport DLR station , which is an elevated station adjoining the terminal building. The station is on a branch of the Docklands Light Railway , which links the airport to Canary Wharf and the City of London as well as to Stratford International and Woolwich Arsenal stations with interchanges to London Underground , London Overground , Elizabeth line , Greater Anglia , c2c , Thameslink and Southeastern High Speed train services. Until 2006, Silvertown railway station on
2704-493: The Dassault Falcon business jets are increasingly common. The airport is not available for use by single-engine aircraft or helicopters; recreational flights and single-pilot operations are also not permitted. The size of the airport, constrained by the water-filled Royal Albert and King George V docks to the north and south respectively, also means that there are no covered maintenance facilities for aircraft. In
2808-574: The M25 motorway . The airport is located within the Hayes and Harlington parliamentary constituency. As the airport is located west of London and as its runways run east–west, an aircraft's landing approach is usually directly over the Greater London Urban Area when the wind has a westerly component — as it often has. The airport forms part of a travel to work area consisting of (most of) Greater London, and neighbouring parts of
2912-642: The North London line served the airport, but it was closed during the construction of Crossrail . The Elizabeth line , which opened in May 2022, passes around 300 m to the south of the airport, but does not stop there. Proposals were put forward that a new station should be opened on the Elizabeth line to serve the airport, but a London City Airport station was not included in TfL's Crossrail plans. The airport
3016-622: The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Wren House Infrastructure Management of the Kuwait Investment Authority for £2 billion was confirmed in February 2016. The sale was completed on 10 March 2016. In September 2016, British Airways announced the termination of one of its two daily long-haul all-business class services from the airport to New York City, citing economic reasons. Green Party candidate for
3120-638: The UK Supreme Court lifted the ban on the third runway expansion, allowing the construction plan to go ahead. Until it was required to sell Gatwick and Stansted Airports, Heathrow Airport Holdings, owned mostly by FGP and Qatar Investment Authority and CDPQ held a dominant position in the London aviation market and has been heavily regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as to how much it can charge airlines to land. The annual increase in landing charge per passenger
3224-421: The fourth-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic and the second-busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic . As of 2023, Heathrow is the airport with the most international connections in the world. Heathrow was founded as a small airfield in 1930 but was developed into a much larger airport after World War II . It lies 14 miles (23 kilometres ) west of Central London on
London City - Misplaced Pages Continue
3328-527: The terminal building, designed by R Seifert and Partners, on 2 May 1986. The first aircraft landed on 31 May 1987, with the first commercial services operating from 26 October 1987. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened London City Airport in November of the same year. In 1988, the first full year of operation, the airport handled 133,000 passengers. The earliest scheduled flights were operated to and from Plymouth , Paris , Amsterdam and Rotterdam . With
3432-419: The 1,508-metre-long (4,948 ft) runway and the steep glideslope, limits the aircraft types that can use London City Airport. The size and layout of the airport and overall complexity caused by the lack of taxiways mean that the airport gets very busy during peak hours. The air traffic controllers have to deal with over 38 flights per hour on a runway which, prior to the opening of the full length taxiway at
3536-671: The A220-100 completed tests for the 5.5-degree approach in Wichita and Salina, Kansas. The A220-100 was certified for the steep approach landing for London City in April 2017. In 2023, Airbus confirmed working on certifying the larger A220-300 for operation at the airport. Corporate aircraft such as the Beechcraft Super King Air , Cessna CitationJet series, Hawker 400 , Hawker 800 , Piaggio Avanti and variants of
3640-475: The Airbus A380; Qatar Airways operates regular A380 flights. Terminal 5 lies between the northern and southern runways at the western end of the Heathrow site and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008, 19 years after its inception. It opened to the public on 27 March 2008, and British Airways and its partner company Iberia have exclusive use of this terminal, which has 50 gates, including three hardstands. The first passenger to enter Terminal 5
3744-486: The Annual World Airport Awards. The main terminal building (Concourse A) has an area of 300,000 square metres (3,200,000 sq ft) while Concourse B covers 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft). It has 60 aircraft stands and capacity for 30 million passengers annually as well as more than 100 shops and restaurants. It is also home to British Airways' Flagship lounge,
3848-554: The COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the airline confirmed the service would not return. In January 2021, after a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the airport became the first major airport controlled by a remote air traffic control tower . The airport had previously decided to relocate the control tower to a site 80 miles (130 km) away at Swanwick, Hampshire , utilising three cable links providing live video to air traffic controllers. In April 2023, London City became
3952-464: The City of London. By 2006, more than 2.3 million passengers used London City Airport. In October 2006, the airport was purchased from Dermot Desmond by a consortium comprising insurer AIG Financial Products and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). In the final quarter of 2008 GIP increased its stake in the airport to 75%, the remaining 25% belonging to Highstar Capital . London City Airport
4056-552: The Concorde Room, alongside four further British Airways branded lounges. One of those lounges is the British Airways Arrivals Lounge which is located land-side. A further building, designated Concourse D and of similar size to Concourse C, may yet be built to the east of the existing site, providing up to another 16 stands. Following British Airways' merger with Iberia , this may become
4160-610: The Europa Building in 1955 and was the airport's oldest terminal. It had an area of 49,654 m (534,470 sq ft) and was designed to handle around 1.2 million passengers annually. In its final years, it accommodated up to 8 million. A total of 316 million passengers passed through the terminal in its lifetime. The building was demolished in 2010, along with the Queens Building which had housed airline company offices. Terminal 3 opened as
4264-454: The Flights ) is opposed to expansion due to noise and pollution issues. On 29 September 2009, Fight the Flights took Newham Council to court in order to challenge their decision to allow a 50% increase from 76,000 to 120,000 flights. On 20 January 2010, the challenge was dismissed, and a deadline of 14 days to appeal was set. The plan was given the go-ahead in February 2015. However this
London City - Misplaced Pages Continue
4368-567: The LDDC for a Docklands STOLport city centre gateway. On 27 June 1982 Brymon's Captain Harry Gee landed a de Havilland Canada Dash 7 turboprop aircraft on Heron Quays , in the nearby West India Docks , in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the STOLport project. Later that year the LDDC published a feasibility study, an opinion poll amongst local residents showed a majority in favour of
4472-529: The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes for foreign carriers to the United States and Asia. At this time the airport had a direct helicopter service to central London from the gardens on the roof of the terminal building. Renamed Terminal 3 in 1968, it was expanded in 1970 with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities added included
4576-765: The Planning Officer for Newham Council produced a report on the Planning Application, recommending that planning permission be granted. The decision was deferred by the council's Development Control Committee at their meeting on 30 July 2008, following a request from Boris Johnson , the Mayor of London , that the decision be delayed until after a study by the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has been published. Over 10,000 local residents were consulted by Newham Council over
4680-640: The UK City of London , a district in central London London, Ontario , Canada London City Council , governs London, Ontario Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title London City . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=London_City&oldid=1187908408 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
4784-491: The UK Government continued to develop the site as a civil airport. The airport was opened on 25 March 1946 as London Airport. The airport was renamed Heathrow Airport in the last week of September 1966, to avoid confusion with the other two airports which serve London, Gatwick and Stansted . The design for the airport was by Sir Frederick Gibberd . He set out the original terminals and central-area buildings, including
4888-445: The UK government white paper The Future of Air Transport , the airport operators have produced a master plan outlining their vision for growth up to 2030. The plan was subject to public consultation during spring 2006, and has been republished incorporating comments from this consultation. The master plan shows a phased expansion of the airport, giving the capability of handling 8 million passengers per annum by 2030. It does not propose
4992-470: The UK's first moving walkways . In 2006, the new £105 million Pier 6 was completed to accommodate the Airbus A380 superjumbo; Emirates and Qantas operate regular flights from Terminal 3 using the Airbus A380. Redevelopment of Terminal 3's forecourt by the addition of a new four-lane drop-off area and a large pedestrianised plaza, complete with a canopy to the front of the terminal building,
5096-503: The US and UK signed a new US-UK Air Transport Agreement in November 2020 incorporating the essential elements of Open Skies, which came into effect in March 2021. The airport was criticised in 2007 for overcrowding and delays; according to Heathrow Airport Holdings, Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55 million passengers annually. The number of passengers using
5200-701: The US. In 1991, Pan Am and TWA sold their rights to United Airlines and American Airlines respectively, while Virgin Atlantic was added to the list of airlines allowed to operate on these routes. The Bermuda II Air Service Agreement was superseded by a new " open skies " agreement that was signed by the United States and the European Union on 30 April 2007 and came into effect on 30 March 2008. Shortly afterwards, additional US airlines, including Northwest Airlines , Continental Airlines , US Airways and Delta Air Lines started services to Heathrow after previously having to use Gatwick Airport . Following Brexit ,
5304-399: The addition of a second runway, or significant expansion of the airport boundaries. Phase 1 of this development would be undertaken by 2015. It would include the in-progress construction of the eastern apron extension and provision of a finger pier to the south of this apron to provide passenger access to aircraft using the new parking stands. The terminal building would also be extended to use
SECTION 50
#17327719938595408-426: The air, almost all of the original runways can still be seen, incorporated into the present system of taxiways. North of the northern runway and the former taxiway and aprons, now the site of extensive car parks, is the entrance to the access tunnel and the site of Heathrow's unofficial " gate guardian ". For many years the home of a 40% scale model of a British Airways Concorde , G-CONC; the site has been occupied by
5512-458: The aircraft to their final approach, merging aircraft from the four holds into a single stream of traffic, sometimes as close as 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) apart. Considerable use is made of continuous descent approach techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night. Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Heathrow Tower. When runway alternation
5616-466: The airport handled 230,000 passengers, but the figures fell drastically after the Gulf War and did not recover until 1993, when 245,000 passengers were carried. By this time the extended runway had been approved and opened (on 5 March 1992). At the same time the glide path was reduced to 5.5°, still steep for a European airport (the slope of an airport glide path is normally 3.0°), but sufficient to allow
5720-422: The airport reached a record 70 million in 2012. In 2007 the airport was voted the world's least favourite, alongside Chicago O'Hare , in a TripAdvisor survey. However, the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 has relieved some pressure on terminal facilities, increasing the airport's terminal capacity to 90 million passengers per year. A tie-up is also in place with McLaren Applied Technologies to optimise
5824-473: The airport's primary users are business travellers with destinations such as Luxembourg and Frankfurt , although the number of leisure destinations served like Palma de Mallorca , Málaga or Chambéry has increased in recent years. London City is at its busiest during the winter months, when a number of airlines, most notably British Airways and Swiss International Air Lines , fly to ski resort gateway destinations. Zürich , Geneva , and Milan are among
5928-423: The airport, and passengers who refuse to use them are required to submit to a hand search in a private room. The scanners display passengers' bodies as cartoon figures, with indicators showing where concealed items may be. For many decades Heathrow had a reputation for theft from baggage by baggage handlers. This led to the airport being nicknamed "Thiefrow", with periodic arrests of baggage handlers. Following
6032-540: The airport. The Embraer 190 SR underwent trials from 28 March 2009, and thereafter gained approval. The Fokker 70 , BAe Jetstream 41 , Saab 340 and Saab 2000 also have approval for scheduled operations at the airport. A number of airlines including Swiss and Odyssey have ordered the Airbus A220 with the intention of operating it from London City once delivered and approved. A220-100 operations for Swiss from City commenced in late 2017. On 22–23 March 2017,
6136-611: The boundaries of the London Borough of Hillingdon , and under the Twickenham postcode area , with the postcode TW6. It is surrounded by the villages of Sipson , Harlington , Harmondsworth , and Longford to the north and the neighbourhoods of Cranford and Hatton to the east. To the south lie Feltham , Bedfont and Stanwell while to the west Heathrow is separated from Slough , Horton and Windsor in Berkshire by
6240-547: The centre (e.g. Camborne Road). The top cargo export destinations include the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates handling 1.4 million tonnes of cargo in 2022. The top products exported were books, salmon and medicine. Aircraft destined for Heathrow are usually routed to one of four holding points . Air traffic controllers at Heathrow Approach Control (based in Swanwick, Hampshire ) then guide
6344-497: The charges for landing at Heathrow are determined by the CAA and Heathrow Airport Holdings, the allocation of landing slots to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL). Until 2008, air traffic between Heathrow and the United States was strictly governed by the countries' bilateral Bermuda II treaty. The treaty originally allowed only British Airways, Pan Am and TWA to fly from Heathrow to designated gateways in
SECTION 60
#17327719938596448-841: The check-in desks and some service facilities as well as a staircase leading to the security control on the upper level, after which the airside waiting area and several more shops can be found. The waiting area is connected to piers on both sides where corridors on the upper floor lead to the departure gates on the ground level. As the airport has no jet bridges , walk-boarding is used on all stands. The following airlines operate regular services to and from London City Airport: Passenger numbers at London City Airport saw rapid growth between 2003 and 2008, doubling from around 1.5 million per year to over 3 million. Totals declined in 2009 and 2010, but have since recovered and in 2019 over 5.1 million passengers passed through London City. In 2020, passenger numbers sharply dropped to below 1 million annually during
6552-406: The destinations popular among winter sports enthusiasts. In July 2020, British Airways announced the termination of its all-business-class flights between City and New York-JFK , which had been operated since 2009. Due to the airport's proximity to Central London, it has stringent rules imposed to limit the noise impact from aircraft operations. This, together with the physical dimensions of
6656-539: The development of the airport, and Mowlem submitted an application for planning permission . A 63-day planning inquiry started on 6 June 1983. By the middle of the following year, Nicholas Ridley the Secretary of State for Transport had indicated that he was "disposed to agree the application", but asked for further details. The Greater London Council brought an action in the High Court of Justice to reopen
6760-477: The end of 2020, required a lengthy backtrack for each aircraft needing to depart from runway 27 or land on runway 09. Operations are restricted to 06:30 to 22:30 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 13:00 on Saturdays and 12:30 to 22:30 on Sundays. These restrictions are related to noise. On 19 December 2022, the airport applied for the restriction on Saturday afternoon to be removed. This application was rejected by Newham Council on 10 July 2023, citing "continued concerns over
6864-433: The existing paths which were spread out. The zones used alternated weekly, meaning residents in the "no-fly" areas received respite from aircraft noise for set periods. However, it was concluded that some residents in other areas experienced more noise as a consequence of the trial and that it should therefore not be taken forward in its current form. Heathrow received more than 25,000 noise complaints in just three months over
6968-535: The first major UK airport to drop its 100-millilitre liquid rule. Passengers travelling through London City are now able to carry liquids of up to 2 litres in their carry-on luggage for the first time since the liquid rule was implemented in the UK in 2006. Plans were approved to increase the passenger cap at London City Airport from 6.5 million to 9 million passengers with the number of morning flights increasing between 06:00 to 09:00. Owing to London City Airport's proximity to London's Docklands and financial district,
7072-536: The first six weeks ( United Airlines ' transatlantic flights) to avoid the opening problems seen at Terminal 5. On 4 June 2014, United became the first airline to move into Terminal 2 from Terminals 1 and 4 followed by All Nippon Airways , Air Canada and Air China from Terminal 3. Air New Zealand , Asiana Airlines , Croatia Airlines , LOT Polish Airlines , South African Airways , and TAP Air Portugal moved in on 22 October 2014. Flights using Terminal 2 primarily originate from northern Europe or western Europe. It
7176-465: The four main holds. The following four stacks are currently in place: In high-traffic situations, air traffic controllers can opt to use a number of RNAV STARs either to send traffic to a non-standard stack or to move traffic from one stack to another. These are not allowed to be used for flight planning and will be assigned by ATC tactically. In September 2012, the British government established
7280-446: The general procedure, reducing delays and pollution. With only two runways operating at over 98% of their capacity, Heathrow has little room for more flights, although the use of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 has allowed some increase in passenger numbers. It is difficult for existing airlines to obtain landing slots to enable them to increase their services from the airport, or for new airlines to start operations. To increase
7384-472: The inquiry. After the High Court dismissed the action in March 1985, outline planning permission was granted in May of that year, followed by the grant of detailed planning permission in early 1986. The airport site had an initial footprint of 37 hectares (92 acres) in area. Construction began on the site shortly after permission was granted, with Charles, Prince of Wales laying the foundation stone of
7488-491: The late 2000s, AirSea Lines envisaged using the airport as a seaplane base . With space limited in East London , and comparatively low passenger volumes, London City Airport is small compared with several other airports serving London, such as Heathrow , Gatwick , Stansted , Southend and Luton . The airport has a single, two-storey passenger terminal building with 18 gates, all hardstands. The ground floor contains
7592-432: The low capacity ramp and short runway excluded most long-range arrivals. However, it was the closest airport to Olympic Park , with normal scheduled travel by road of 15 minutes. In early 2013, work was expected to start on a £15 million investment programme to refurbish the western pier with new departure gates and improved lounges and to redevelop the international arrivals hall and baggage handling areas. In response to
7696-485: The noise and environmental impact of the airport on those living nearby." Mid-range airliners seen at London City include the ATR 42 (both −300 and −500 variants), ATR 72 , Airbus A318 , Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 , BAe 146/Avro RJ , Dornier 328 , Embraer ERJ 135 , Embraer 170 , Embraer 190 and Fokker 50 . On 30 January 2009, trials were completed successfully with the ATR 72–500 , leading to its approval for use at
7800-532: The nominated departure runway, to help reduce airborne delays and to position landing aircraft closer to their terminal, reducing taxi times. Night-time flights at Heathrow are subject to restrictions . Between 23:00 and 04:00, the noisiest aircraft (rated QC /8 and QC/16) cannot be scheduled for operation. Also, during the night quota period (23:30–06:00) there are four limits: A trial of "noise-relief zones" ran from December 2012 to March 2013, which concentrated approach flight paths into defined areas compared with
7904-402: The number of flights, Heathrow Airport Holdings has proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take off and land on the same runway. This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to former British Airways CEO Willie Walsh . Heathrow Airport Holdings has also proposed building
8008-468: The original control tower and the multi-faith Chapel of St George's. Heathrow Airport is used by over 89 airlines flying to 214 destinations in 84 countries. The airport is the primary hub of British Airways and is a base for Virgin Atlantic . It has four passenger terminals (numbered 2 to 5) and a cargo terminal. In 2021 Heathrow served 19.4 million passengers, of which 17 million were international and 2.4 million domestic. The busiest year ever recorded
8112-400: The other. To further reduce noise nuisance, the use of runways 27R and 27L is swapped at 15:00 each day if the wind is from the west. When landings are easterly there is no alternation; 09L remains the landing runway and 09R the takeoff runway due to the legacy of the now rescinded Cranford Agreement , pending taxiway works to allow the roles to be reversed. Occasionally, landings are allowed on
8216-427: The pandemic. However, all American flights, except JFK, have returned to Terminal 3. China Southern Airlines used Terminal 5 due to the pandemic until it was relocated to Terminal 4 in November 2022. Built for £4.3 billion, the terminal consists of a four-story main terminal building (Concourse A) and two satellite buildings linked to the main terminal by an underground people mover transit system. Concourse A
8320-416: The pattern closest to their arrival route. They can be visualised as a helix in the sky. Each stack descends in 1,000 feet (305 m) intervals from 16,000 feet (4,877 m) down to 8,000 feet (2,438 m). Aircraft hold between 7,000 and 15,000 feet (2,134 and 4,572 m) at 1,000-foot intervals. If these holds become full, aircraft are held at more distant points before being cleared onward to one of
8424-438: The plan of which 1,109 replied, 801 with objections and 308 in support. The 801 objections mainly concerned increase in noise, increase in air pollution, surface transport, socio-economics and regeneration. The 308 supporters mainly concerned the reduction of air pollution, an alternative London and 2012 Olympic gateway, additional jobs, and benefiting to the local economy. The residents campaign group HACAN East (formerly Fight
8528-415: The poorer performers among the 50 busiest airlines and the emphasis on relative rather than absolute performance, so an airline could well improve its "Fly Quiet" score quarter-on-quarter even if its environmental performance had in fact worsened over the period. In October 2024, Heathrow finally reinstated the programme, rebadged as “Fly Quieter & Greener”. Two more environmental benchmarks were added to
8632-408: The prayer room. The airport has its resident press corps, consisting of six photographers and one TV crew, serving all the major newspapers and television stations around the world. Most of Heathrow's internal roads’ names are coded by their first letter: N in the north (e.g. Newall Road), E in the east (e.g. Elmdon Road), S in the south (e.g. Stratford Road), W in the west (e.g. Walrus Road), C in
8736-744: The previous seven, but in all other respects the aforementioned deficiencies of the original scheme remain. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Heathrow has seen a large increase in cargo-only flights, not only by already established carriers at the airport operating cargo-only flights using passenger aircraft but also by several cargo-only airlines. Inbound aircraft to London Heathrow Airport typically follow one of several Standard Arrival Routes (STARs). The STARs each terminate at one of four different VOR installations , and these also define four "stacks" where aircraft can be held if necessary until they are cleared to begin their approach to land. Stacks are sections of airspace where inbound aircraft will normally use
8840-402: The shape of a hexagram with the permanent passenger terminal in the middle and the older terminal along the north edge of the field; two of its runways would always be within 30° of the wind direction. As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has only two parallel runways running east–west. These are extended versions of the two east–west runways from the original hexagram. From
8944-547: The south of the runway, to avoid the need for aircraft to back-track on the runway. Both these developments would involve further reduction in the water area of the King George V Dock. The existing fuel farm would be relocated to a site at the east of the airport, where it could be supplied by barge , and linked to a hydrant based supply system, thus eliminating both road tanker deliveries and on-airport fuel bowser movements. The existing surface car park would be replaced by
9048-400: The strict noise limitations and further restrictions are allowed to conduct operations at London City Airport. As of 2020, the airport is about 60 hectares (150 acres) in size. London City had over 5.1 million passenger movements in 2019. It is the fifth-busiest airport by passengers and aircraft movements serving the London area—after Heathrow , Gatwick , Stansted and Luton —and was
9152-554: The summer of 2016, but around half were made by the same ten people. In 2017, Heathrow introduced "Fly Quiet & Green", a quarterly published league table (suspended in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic) that awards points to the 50 busiest airlines at the airport, ostensibly based on their performance relative to each other across a range of seven environmental benchmarks, such as NO x emissions. Heathrow has acknowledged, but not attempted to refute, criticism over discrepancies and
9256-407: The surrounding Home Counties . Heathrow Airport began in 1929 as a small airfield ( Great West Aerodrome ) on land southeast of the hamlet of Heathrow from which the airport takes its name. At that time the land consisted of farms, market gardens and orchards ; there was a "Heathrow Farm" approximately where the modern Terminal 2 is situated, a "Heathrow Hall" and a "Heathrow House." This hamlet
9360-672: The terminal and a taxi rank outside the terminal door. The airport is served by London Buses services: The express shuttle buses, which formerly ran to various destinations, were withdrawn after the DLR line was built. Thames Clippers services call at a new pier at the nearby residential development Royal Wharf , allowing travel into Central London using an Oyster card or contactless smart card . Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport ( / ˌ h iː θ ˈ r oʊ , ˈ h iː θ r oʊ / ), called London Airport until 1966 ( IATA : LHR , ICAO : EGLL ), and now known as London Heathrow,
9464-408: The triangle of land between it and the railway station. The existing jet centre serving corporate aviation would be extended, a new hangar built to allow aircraft maintenance, and a replacement fire station provided. Phases 2 and 3 would be undertaken between 2015 and 2030. Further aircraft parking stands would be built to the east of the terminal, and a taxiway would be constructed alongside and to
9568-441: The two centres of London's financial industry, which is a major user of the airport. The airport was developed by the engineering company Mowlem between 1986 and 1987. In 2016 it was bought by a Canadian-led consortium of AIMCo , OMERS , the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Wren House Infrastructure Management of the Kuwait Investment Authority . London City Airport has a single 1,508-metre-long (4,948 ft) runway, and
9672-415: The western end of the apron . In 2003, a new ground holding point was established at the eastern end of the runway, enabling aircraft awaiting takeoff to hold there whilst other aircraft landed. On 2 December 2005, London City Airport DLR station opened on a branch of the Docklands Light Railway , providing rail access to the airport for the first time, and providing fast rail links to Canary Wharf and
9776-466: The widespread disruption caused by reports of drone sightings at Gatwick Airport , and a subsequent incident at Heathrow, a drone-detection system was installed airport-wide to attempt to combat disruption caused by the illegal use of drones. The airport's newest terminal, officially known as the Queen's Terminal, was opened on 4 June 2014 and has 24 gates. Designed by Spanish architect Luis Vidal , it
9880-408: Was 2019 when 80.9 million passengers travelled through the airport. Heathrow is the UK's largest port by value with a network of over 218 destinations worldwide. The busiest single destination in passenger numbers is New York, with over three million passengers flying between Heathrow and JFK Airport in 2021. In the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles in
9984-425: Was a UK ex-pat from Kenya who passed through security at 04:30 on the day. He was presented with a boarding pass by British Airways CEO Willie Walsh for the first departing flight, BA302 to Paris. During the two weeks after its opening, operations were disrupted by problems with the terminal's IT systems, coupled with insufficient testing and staff training, which caused over 500 flights to be cancelled. Terminal 5
10088-552: Was built on the site that had been occupied by the original Terminal 2 and the Queens Building. The main complex was completed in November 2013 and underwent six months of testing before opening to passengers. It includes a satellite pier (T2B), a 1,340-space car park, and a cooling station to generate chilled water. There are 52 shops and 17 bars and restaurants. The airlines moved from their original locations over six months, with only 10% of flights operating from there in
10192-488: Was capped at inflation minus 3% until 1 April 2003. From 2003 to 2007 charges increased by inflation plus 6.5% per year, taking the fee to £9.28 per passenger in 2007. In March 2008, the CAA announced that the charge would be allowed to increase by 23.5% to £12.80 from 1 April 2008 and by inflation plus 7.5% for each of the following four years. In April 2013, the CAA announced a proposal for Heathrow to charge fees calculated by inflation minus 1.3%, continuing until 2019. Whilst
10296-605: Was completed in 2007. These improvements were intended to improve passengers' experience, reduce traffic congestion and improve security. As part of this project, Virgin Atlantic was assigned its dedicated check-in area, known as 'Zone A', which features a large sculpture and atrium. As of 2013 , Terminal 3 has an area of 98,962 m (1,065,220 sq ft) with 28 gates, and in 2011 it handled 19.8 million passengers on 104,100 flights. Most flights from Terminal 3 are long-haul flights from North America, Asia and other foreign countries other than Europe. Terminal 3
10400-530: Was disrupted by activists from Plane Stupid and Fight the Flights dressed up in business suits. Before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, it was reported that over £7 million (in 2011) was invested in the terminal to extend the Central Search area and adding other improvements. During the Games, however, the airport was only open for a few hours and there were strict restrictions (for security), and
10504-607: Was granted planning permission to construct an extended apron with four additional aircraft parking stands and four new gates to the east of the terminal in 2001; they became operational on 30 May 2008. They are carried on piles above the water of the King George V Dock . British Airways commenced the first scheduled transatlantic flights from the airport in September 2009, with a twice a day service to New York City 's John F. Kennedy International Airport via Shannon using
10608-476: Was introduced, aircraft generated significantly more noise on departure than when landing, so a preference for westerly operations during daylight was introduced, which continues to this day. In this mode, aircraft take off towards the west and land from the east over London, thereby minimising the impact of noise on the most densely populated areas. Heathrow's two runways generally operate in segregated mode, whereby landings are allocated to one runway and takeoffs to
10712-456: Was largely along a country lane (Heathrow Road), which ran roughly along the east and south edges of the present central terminals area. Development of the whole Heathrow area as a much larger airport began in 1944 during World War II . It was intended for long-distance military aircraft bound for the Far East. By the time some of the airfield's runways were usable, World War II had ended, and
10816-446: Was overturned by Boris Johnson in March 2015. On 27 July 2016 London City Airport was given approval by authorities for their £344 million expansion plan. In October 2015, Global Infrastructure Partners which owned 75% of the facility, put it up for sale, with the agreement of Oaktree Capital Management which holds the remaining 25%. A sale to a Canadian-led consortium of Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), OMERS ,
#858141